Mississauga City Council approves 2015 Budget

Mississauga City Council passed the 2015 Budget today. The tax increase will be 2.2 per cent on the 2015 residential property tax bill.  The increase includes 1.3 per cent for the City’s services and 0.9 per cent proposed for Region of Peel services.

Mississauga’s 2015 Budget is a solid financial blueprint for our thriving city, and our promising future,” Mayor Crombie said. “We engaged people. We heard directly from residents about their funding priorities.  Together, we have put forward a fiscally-responsible, balanced budget that respects taxpayers’ hard-earned money, while safeguarding important investments for public transit, community centres and neighbourhood safety,” Crombie added.

City Manager and CAO Janice Baker said Mississauga is focused on delivering the goals in the Strategic Plan, while finding more efficient, innovative ways to deliver City services.

“The 2015 Budget shows how Mississauga is focusing on the future while maintaining and improving the services residents depend on,” said Baker. “The flexibility we’ve built into the City’s finances will ensure we can meet our strategic goals while being responsible with citizens’ tax dollars.”

Highlights

• Transit services are increasing to meet the growing demand.  MiWay will add 41,000 service hours and new express routes along the Mississauga Transitway.
• Capital projects like the Meadowvale Community Centre renovation started in 2014 will continue to improve recreation and community services in Mississauga.
• The Mississauga Library system will start to see increases in funding for collections.  By 2018, funds for library materials will increase by almost $1 per year for every resident.
• An Advanced Transportation Management System (ATMS) will make the City’s traffic control system responsive to changing traffic conditions.
• The two per cent Capital Infrastructure and Debt Repayment Levy will help the City pay for its infrastructure.  The City needs about $128 million per year.  Current sources of funding, including property taxes, reserve funds and gas taxes, will still leave the City short about $60 million.
• City staff identified $6.2 million in savings for 2015 through efficiencies. These savings have ensured the costs to maintain existing service levels remain below the rate of inflation.
• The City’s Gross Operating Budget for 2015 is $694.8 million. The City delivers services like transit, parks, forestry, recreation, roads and stormwater management, and fire and emergency services.
• The City’s Capital Budget for 2015 is $195.2 million. The capital plan includes transportation projects like the new Transitway, road and bridge rehabilitation and other infrastructure projects like park facilities and storm drainage.

For more information, see our 2015 Business Plan & Budget Backgrounder.

The City’s 2015 Budget was reviewed by the Budget Committee and deferred to City Council for consideration and approval. All members of Council are members of the Budget Committee.

All Budget Committee and City Council meetings were open to the public and aired live on Rogers Cable 10, with highlights posted to Facebook and Twitter.  The 2015-2018 City Business Plan & 2015 Budget website includes new tools and information about the City’s business plan and budget process.

The new City Budget Basics video helps explain programs and services the City delivers and how we plan for future years.  The Budget Allocator tool helps people understand City budgeting priorities.